Chile Recipe ⇒ Chicken Chile Verde

During culinary school I worked at a Mexican restaurant in Saranac Lake, NY, called Casa Del Sol. My favorite dish was the Chile Verde. In this version I simmer large chunks of chicken slowly in an exotic green sauce of tomatillos and chilies.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 tomatillos, husked and quartered
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• ½ bunch cilantro
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup sour cream, for garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and black pepper on all sides.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, 2 to 3 pieces at a time, until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.
3. Place tomatillos, jalepeno peppers, garlic, cilantro, and chicken stock in a blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven. Stir in onion, cook and stir until onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in cumin, oregano, and bay leaf; cook 1 minute.
5. Place chicken over onion mixture in the Dutch oven. Pour in tomatillo mixture. Bring to a boil, decrease heat to low and simmer, covered, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
6. Stir in potatoes and cook, uncovered, until they are easily pierced with a fork, about 35 minutes.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve garnished with sour cream.

Nutrition Facts

• calories441.4
• carbohydrateContent30 g
• cholesterolContent70.3 mg
• fatContent24.7 g
• fiberContent4.8 g
• proteinContent25.7 g
• saturatedFatContent7.4 g
• sodiumContent424.7 mg
• sugarContent4.9 g